Grey, gray (hyaku nezu) COLORS

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Grey, Gray (hai-iro, hyaku nezu )

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

gray, grey, grau, nezumi-iro 鼠色
ash gray, hai-iro, kaishoku 灰色（かいしょく・はいいろ）

In the Edo period, when showing off was not allowed, the colors were given subdued names too, all hundred shades of grey, Edo Hyaku nezu 江戸百鼠.
These shades were very fashionable for kimono. They had very delicate shades of each color.

There were also 48 different shades of green and the 100 gray shades, in a famous saying: shijuuhatcha hyakunezumi 四十八茶、百鼠.
yonjuuhatcha hyakunezu
Look at them here.
http://www.kimono28.com/100nezu.htm

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Rikyu Rat Grey, Rikyu nezu
利休鼠（りきゅうねず） Rikyuu



緑味のある鼠色をいいますが、利休の名をつけたのは言うまでもなく、織田信長や豊臣秀吉の茶頭であった桃山時代の茶人、千利休にちなむものですが、利休が好んだという意味ではなく、抹茶の緑色からの連想で後世の人が名づけたものです。他にも利休茶などがあります。江戸時代に愛好されたようですが、明治に入ってからも流行色となっています。
http://yuzen.net/color/gray/rikyunezu.htm


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

RIKYU GREY AND THE ART OF AMBIGUITY
The Japan Architect, June 1979

If one is going to name a certain sensation, formulate an outline of its features, trace its history or search for the origin of that sensation, it must inspire a profound sympathy yet awake a certain critical awareness. For me, such a sensation is "Rikyu grey." The sensation of Rikyu grey represents an aesthetic of an ambivalent or multiple meaning.

Read about this color and Japanese Architecture

KISHO KUROKAWA

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Rikyu gray, Rikyu nezu
Gray which the green of powdered green tea.

雨はふるふる、城ヶ島の磯に、
利休鼠の雨がふる。
雨は眞珠か、夜明の霧か、
それともわたしの忍び泣き。
舟はゆくゆく通り矢のはなを、
濡れて帆あげたぬしの舟。
ええ、舟は櫓でやる、櫓は唄でやる、
唄は船頭さんの心意氣。
雨はふるふる、日はうす曇る。
舟はゆくゆく、帆がかすむ。

It continues drizzling. at the rocky shore of Jogashima.
---The rain of Rikyu gray .
Is the rain pearls, or fog of dawn, or my subdued sobbing.
A ship sails around the tip of a Toriya
--- Your ship which hoisted its wet sail.
I row a ship .
I pull an oar to a song.
The song is the captain's spirit.
It continues drizzling.
The sun hides in thin clouds.
The ship sails. The sail dims.

http://members2.jcom.home.ne.jp/kitahara-hakushu/work/jyougashimanoame/

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Japanese Color Names

... ... ... ... List with color samples
Cherry-grey, sakura nezumi 桜鼠（さくらねずみ）
Plum-grey, ume nezumi 梅鼠（うめねずみ）
willow green grey, yanagi nezumi 柳鼠（やなぎねずみ）
harbour grey, minato nezumi 湊鼠（みなとねずみ）
...........fukagawa nezumi 深川鼠 （ふかがわねずみ）
indigo grey, ai nezumi 藍鼠（あいねずみ）
wisteria grey, fuji nezumi 藤鼠（ふじねずみ）
dove feather grey, hatoba nezumi 鳩羽鼠（はとばねずみ）
grape grey, budoo nezumi 葡萄鼠（ぶどうねず ・えびねずみ）
red faded grey, beni keshi nezumi 紅消鼠（べにけしねずみ）
white grey, shiro nezumi 白鼠（しろねずみ）

bea8a7 .. silver grey, gin nezumi 銀鼠（ぎんねずみ）
7b6d5b .. plain grey, sunezumi 素鼠（すねずみ）
513d39 .. faded grey, dobunezumi 丼鼠・溝鼠（どぶねずみ）

and many many more colors:
http://www.colordic.org/w


e1642f 江戸茶（えどちゃ）looks more of a red shade
Edo Green, Edo Tea Color, edocha 江戸茶（えどちゃ）
http://www2.tokai.or.jp/hiramatu/onyak/sikime01.htm




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HAIKU

a shade of grey on my cherry blossoms - sakuranezu 桜鼠

. Gabi Greve, Introducing Shades of Gray .

sudden rain - my world reduced to shades of gray

The gray of this background is called Genji Nezumi Mouse Gray
#888084

More of my Info and Haiku about GRAY !


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狐火や利休鼠の雨が降る
kitsunebi ya Rikyu ne no ame ga furu

fox fire -
the rain falls so gray,
Rikyu gray
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Gendai Haiku Kyokai
http://www.gendaihaiku.gr.jp/haikukai/result/08_touku.htm

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箱根山利休鼠にしぐれをり
Hakone yama Rikyu nezu ni shigureori

Hakone Mountains -
a cold rain falls,
Rikyu Gray Rain
(tr. Gabi Greve)

Shimizu Miyoko 清水 美夜湖

Gendai Haiku Kyokai
http://www.gendaihaiku.gr.jp/haikukai/result/34_senku.htm

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morning sky--
clearing away the grey
to a sunny day

Gillena Cox, T&T, 2006


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Related words

kurenai くれない【紅】 crimson red, deep red
kure no ai 呉の藍 turned kurenai (meaning indigo from ancient China)
shinku 真紅 / 深紅 deep scarlet
Safflower, saffron flower (benibana, beni no hana)
Carthamus tinctorius

nisekurenai 偽紅 "false kurenai" died with akane あかね【茜】 (Rubia akane Nakai) instead of safflower

kara kurenai からくれない 唐紅/ 韓紅 "crimson from China"
a rather dark crimson


beni no ame　紅の雨 "crimson rain" rain on beautiful blossoms
beni no namida 紅の涙　"crimson tears" bloody tears
these two words are not often used in haiku.

Beni lipstick made in the cold (kanbeni 寒紅, ushibeni 丑紅)
and more of the EDO culture and the color RED



hanezu iro はねずいろ唐棣花色/ 唐棣色（はねずいろ）light pink
#f0908d


suou iro 蘇芳色（すおういろ）"sappan wood red"
#973C3F

toki iro 鴇色 ときいろ / 朱鷺色 pink
#F5C9C6

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soga iro 承和色 (そがいろ）light yellow of the soga chrysanthemum


torinoko iro とりのこいろ / 鳥の子色 "chicken color" whitish
color of an egg
#FFF6DC


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***** BLUE, the color of sky and water

***** GREEN (midori) in Haiku and BLUE-GREEN (aoi)

***** WHITE in Haiku (shiroi, haku)

***** Violett and Purple : MURASAKI in Haiku


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http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/

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